European Team of the Week: Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski Raise the Bar

Robert Lewandowski is WhoScored.com’s European player of the week. The powerful Pole starred on the left side of Bayern’s attacking three in Saturday’s impressive 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, netting either side of half-time.

Lewandowski could have scored a third, having struck the woodwork 15 minutes from time, while his six successful dribbles contributed to a perfect rating of 10, landing him the Man of the Match award in the process.

Lionel Messi stars on the opposite flank after commendable displays for Barcelona against Almeria and Sevilla. Messi netted in each match to take his total for the league season to 34. Three key passes and eight successful dribbles over 180 minutes of action saw him gain an average WhoScored.com rating of 9.01 over the two fixtures, as the Blaugrana maintained their quest to land their 23rd Primera Division title.

La Liga counterpart Fabian Orellana also features in midfield after a noteworthy performance for Celta Vigo, who romped to a 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. The 29-year-old provided the assist for Santi Mina’s third goal of the game, which came from one of his four key passes. However, it was his ability to drive the team forward when on the ball that won Orellana praise in Celta’s resounding victory.

The Chilean attacker completed 10 successful dribbles for his side—only Isaac Cuenca (13) and Lionel Messi (12) have completed more in a single Primera Division match this season.

While Mina deserves credit for his four-goal haul in the win over Rayo, Orellana was deserving of his WhoScored.com man of the match award, given the offensive threat he provided for his side over the 90 minutes.

Angel Fernandez/Associated Press

Young Ivaylo Chochev partners Orellana in the middle of the park. The Bulgarian netted from one of his two shots on target as Palermo landed a 3-1 win at Udinese, which brought their six-game winless run to an end.

However, it was the youngster’s defensive display that contributed most toward his impressive rating. Chochev made 10 tackles against Udinese—with only Edgar Barreto and Guillermo Rodriguez (both 11) having made more in a single Serie A match this term.

Christian Benteke stars in attack. The Belgian appears a striker reborn under Tim Sherwood, with the recently appointed Villans boss bringing out the best in Aston Villa’s star striker. Benteke netted a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with QPR last Tuesday, with each of his three shots on target finding the back of the net in the stalemate at Villa Park. Such a performance earned him a WhoScored.com perfect rating of 10, which he followed up with an impressive display at Tottenham.

Benteke netted the only goal of the game at White Hart Lane, as Sherwood came back to haunt his former employers. Again earning the Man of the Match award, the 24-year-old frontman netted his 10th goal in the Premier League this season. Six key passes played and 24 aerial duels won meant his average rating over the two fixtures last week as an impressive 9.18.

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Glenn Murray partners Benteke up front. The Crystal Palace striker has firmly established himself as the Eagles’ No. 1 frontman and once more repaid the faith shown in him by manager Alan Pardew with his sixth goal in his last six league outings in the 4-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday. The experienced attacker also registered two assists for Palace as he and the club maintained their recent good run of form to all but secure their top-flight safety.

Jonas Hector features at left-back on account of his WhoScored.com Man of the Match performance as FC Cologne improved their survival chances with an important 3-2 win over Hoffenheim. Hector impressed at left-back, netting a superb solo effort for his side, which turned out to be the winning goal for Die Geissbocke at the RheinEnergieStadion.

Thirty-five percent of Cologne’s attacks came down the left flank, with Hector playing a key role in their offensive moves, with the 24-year-old completing eight successful dribbles, whilst also making five tackles in the win.

Anaitz Arbilla stars on the opposite flank, having performed admirably for Espanyol in wins over Villarreal and Athletic Club. The right-back was effective for the Periquitos in victories over their La Liga counterparts, as Espanyol improved their chances of securing a European berth this campaign.

Arbilla made a combined 13 tackles, seven interceptions and 10 clearances over the two fixtures and was awarded the WhoScored.com Man of the Match award in the victory over Athletic. An average rating of 8.40 over 180 minutes of action secured a place in this week's XI.

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Facundo Roncaglia comes into the team at centre-back following his Man of the Match display in Genoa’s 2-0 win over Cagliari. Victory for Genoa ended a five-game winless run for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, with Roncaglia playing a key part at the weekend. The Argentine defender provided the assist for M’Baye Niang’s opener, but it was his defensive exploits that shone in the encounter, with the 28-year-old making six tackles, six interceptions and four clearances in the clean-sheet-attaining performance.

Hilton partners Roncaglia at the heart of the back line this week. The experienced Brazilian impressed against Monaco and Toulouse, despite being unable to prevent defeat in the latter league fixture. Twelve aerial duels won, eight tackles, 10 interceptions and 27 clearances contributed to his average WhoScored.com rating of 8.47 over the two matches.

Iker Casillas makes up the team of the week after his performance for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano last week. While Los Blancos initially struggled to break down their Liga counterparts, Casillas was on hand to ensure Madrid maintained their defensive solidity, making eight saves and two cross claims as Carlo Ancelotti’s side eventually secured maximum points at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.

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